Tag Archives: Vanilla

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Thanks for all of your comments on my post on my JRA. UPDATE: My knee isn’t hurting as much, the swelling is starting to go down (it’s slow, but steady), and it doesn’t feel as stiff, all of which I am SUPER excited about. I really didn’t want to have to go to the hospital, as I would have had to if it didn’t get better, so having the rest, Motrin, and no-peanut-butter/less-gluten-diet work almost brings tears into my eyes. I can’t wait to when I get to do planks and use the treadmill and workout with Jillian again. I have been doing the workout I shared, but of course I don’t want to do it every day, as the muscles need rest in between workouts to actually rebuild and become stronger, but it’s not the same as doing a full body circuit workout like the ones Jillian Michaels does.🙂

Since I have been avoiding peanuts and cutting back on gluten (which are two foods that can cause inflammation, since the swelling in my knee is a kind of inflammation, I don’t want to put any more stress on my knee than I have to),I asked my parents to get me a BIG bag of almonds, made over a quart of this almond butter (but this time I didn’t use the vanilla in it) to take place of my peanut butter, and then baked this lovely treat because … well — just because I wanted to.😉

They are gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and made with only five ingredients. And not only are they super easy to make, but they are also rich in fiber, have no sugar added, and are full of fruit and healthy fats!

What are they called? My Vanilla-Nut Banana Cookies!

Chop up your dates and almonds.

Add them along with the oat bran and cinnamon to your blender/food-processor.

Process them at medium-high speed

…until the mixture turns into a fine mill (flour-like).

Pour the mixture into a bowl and form a “well” in the center.

In the middle of the well, add the mashed bananas.

Stir it all up until it forms a dough.

Cookie-scoop the dough onto a non-stick or lightly sprayed baking sheet. You can use a fork to flatten them down if desired, but they taste great either way.

Bake at 350 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and set in the center. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

SERVE!

Vanilla-Nut Banana Cookies!

Ingredients

½ cup almonds, sliced or chopped (or if your blender/food-processor is strong enough, you can use whole)

¼ cup chopped dates

1 cup oat bran

1 tbsp vanilla

3 bananas, ripe (with brown spots) and mashed

Directions

Chop up your dates and almonds. Add them along with the oat bran and cinnamon to your blender/food-processor. Process them at medium-high speed until the mixture turns into a fine mill (flour-like). Pour the mixture into a bowl and form a “well” in the center. In the middle of the well, add the mashed bananas and stir it all up until it forms a dough.

Cookie-scoop the dough onto a non-stick or lightly sprayed baking sheet. You can use a fork to flatten them down if desired, but they taste great either way. Bake at 350 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and set in the center. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: to make completely gluten-free (for those who have those concerns), use gluten-free oat bran or gluten-free rolled oats in place of the regular oats.

These did not last long at all. (As they didn’t last long enough before they were all eaten, I’m sure they’d last for over a week or two, as long as they were kept in the fridge; they’d of course last longer in the freezer, which is one of my mom’s favorite ways to eat cookies – straight from the freezer.) They were all eaten within a couple days of me making them. Oh I guess that means I’ll have to make another batch.😉

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Do you like recipes with a short list of ingredients? I feel that the shorter the list of ingredients the better, and the easier to read and recognize the ingredients on a label the better.🙂

What do you like to do to celebrate birthdays? Tomorrow is my Dad’s birthday and he wants to just go out for dinner. My birthday is coming up and hopefully we’ll get to go bowling! My AP tests will be done that day and by then my knee will hopefully be strong again. If not, I may just make a cake and have it at a game night (we’re thinking of having one at the end of May as an “End-Of-The-School-Year” game night. If that was it that would be enough for me.🙂

How big is your water bottle? Mine’s a 20-oz bottle, but it has a tracker on the top that goes up to 6, so I can track right on my bottle how much water I drank that day.

Thank you for all of your comments on my last post and guest post! I loved reading all of your responses to my question I asked about sugar. As you know, I am striving for balance, and your comments really mean the world to me! I have grown so much since I have started blogging — and you guys make it all worth it. Thank you for being there for me!!!🙂

What are some your favorite foods?

I love Chocolate.

I love Strawberries.

I love Vanilla extract.

I love Chocolate, Strawberry, AND Vanilla.

And because I love Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla, I love the Neapolitan concept — I get to have all three flavors in one bowl! Hello!

One of the ways I get my three flavors is in the morning is with Neapolitan Oatmeal!🙂

Neapolitan Oatmeal!

Notes: Serves 1 Single Lady (or Guy)! Oat Bran would be lovely in place of the Rolled or quick oats. Protein powder will work too! Just add 1/3 serving in each part in these three flavors: Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate. You can use peanut butter or almond butter in place of the Walnut Almond Butter. Sweeten oat sections to taste. If you want a more smooth oatmeal, blend the oats in a blender before separating into sections.

Ingredients

1 serving of Oatmeal, cooked in either water or milk (make sure oats are uncontaminated if want gluten-free)

Once desired texture is reached, separate oats evenly into three parts.

To one part of oatmeal, add the vanilla and mashed banana. In another part, add the strawberries (and sweeten to taste) or the strawberry preserves. In the last part, add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

Stir each part. Then, in the bowl with the strawberry oats, add the other oat sections—vanilla on the left and chocolate on the right.

Spread a spoonful of nut butter on top of the vanilla oats.

Top with Chocolate Chips and Strawberries and DEVOUR!

What is one of your favorite flavor trios? Another one of my favorite flavor trios is Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana!

Thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes! I actually haven’t had my birthday yet; my birthday is on Saturday, but I had to have my party a week before since I’m so busy this weekend. But thanks anyways! It really means a lot to me!

I also love how many of you love BOTH Chocolate and Vanilla! And I have to agree with you on that. Though, I personally think Chocolate Vanilla SWIRL is the best!

UPDATE ON MY CHALLENGE!

This past week withthe Challenge, we focused on cutting out the sugar.

Since the time I cut out the processed sugar in my diet, I feel as though my taste buds have come ALIVE! Everything tastes better. I am fuller longer. The only kings of sweetener I use are fruit and stevia, so regular foods full of white sugar and such just don’t appeal to me anymore. I prefer FRUIT over any other kind of dessert!

I have also been drinking lemon water every morning since I’ve started the challenge, and I have already felt a difference! I must admit, I am more regular (sorry if that is TMI, but it’s the truth!). I hope to continue it through and after the challenge!

This coming week, I am going to focus on chewing my food properly. Sometimes with life, it can be easy to forget how essential chewing our food properly is to the digestion process. Since chewing is the first step of digestion, chewing my food properly is one of the first ways I can help. We are also going to cut out some of the gluten to see how we feel. This Challenge is all about finding that balance with yourself and your body. For some people, gluten bothers them and they don’t even know it. I’ll see how far I get with this one, since I love myPizzertsso much!🙂 At least Peanut Butter is Gluten Free!🙂

And what luck! This WHOLE book is Gluten Free!🙂 Just what I needed for this challenge!

Here’s the rest of the stuff Wendy sent me.

She is so generous! I received a notepad, a set of Dog cards, a set of Cooking cards, and a set of Owl cards! THANKS WENDY!!🙂

Also, I’m joining up withErinover at The Healthy Apron for MEAT-LESS MAY.

The concept is not to eat NO meat in May, it is just to eat LESS meat in May. We don’t necessarily have to eat meat at every meal for it to be a meal. There ARE amazing vegetarian/vegan meals that even the heaviest meat eaters would like!!! (check out somehere, andhere, and here)

Lookie who I found!!

cue: AWWWEEEE!!!

These morning dove babies are SO cute!!!🙂 And they are right in our backyard! They were just sitting there — gosh they are so photogenic.🙂

Have you ever curled you hair with your flat-iron? It’s really fun! But for me, it is really hard to curl the back of my head — I just can’t see it!!!

What are some of your favorite protein sources? Bring on the dry-roasted soynuts for me!

Which do you prefer? Chocolate + Vanilla; plain Vanilla; or plain Chocolate.

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Hi! I’m Kat!

Thanks for dropping by my little corner of the blog-world! My name is Kat, and I'm the author and creator of Kat's Health Corner.

I'm a college senior receiving a bachelor's degree in Health Promotions with an emphasis in Nutrition; I want to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). I just returned from serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in the Spanish language.

I strive to eat nutrient-rich foods, focusing on wholesome, unprocessed foods. I love learning more about God's creations and coming closer to His as I follow His example, create things in the kitchen, nourish my body and soul, and reach out in love and care to others.

Follow me as I continue this journey to become a Registered Dietitian and have fun along the way!